Stevia rebaudiana is a shrubby perennial, growing up to 65-100 cm tall. It is a member of the Compositae family and originates from Paraguay. This species is grown commercially in Brazil, China, Paraguay, the United States, and other countries. The plants are grown so that sweet glycosides present in the leaves can be extracted for use as sweeteners. The sweetest of these glycosides is rebaudioside A (Reb A).
The development of new varieties of Stevia rebaudiana with high levels of Reb A is desirable. The new Stevia variety ‘T60’ described herein is such a variety.
The new ‘T60’ variety was asexually reproduced from callus through an in vitro tissue culture technique performed in Woodland, Calif.